@smelly
Ever since Rannoch and Lucy had decided it was time for sleep, the Xi had grown restless. As Lucy had easily settled for the night, Rannoch stayed awake to keep watch in case the monster was lurking about. When he was within the safety of the forest he had found it easy to stay awake and felt quite at ease within the comforts of the sprawling evergreens. But out here in the open? He was uneasy.
In addition to being on edge, the young cub took time to think about the family he had left behind in the forest. Though he knew he would be back in the morning he felt bad for leaving them without a word. What did Cypress think now that he was gone? Momma and Pappa? They were probably worried sick. Her shuffled at Lucky’s side at the thought. Also, what was the forest doing without him to protect the borders?
At the moment, he wasn’t quite sure.
The hulking wraith of a beast trudged further from his home than he had been in quite some time. The separation from the sea was enough to twist his soul and grip him with a ferocity that could not have been described by any mortal being. There was a hollowness to his actions and the conviction with which he moved – the jagged and unsteady limp of a brutal wound still reflected in his step. Though he had been instructed to tend to it and to keep himself off of his feet, Skellige had not listened to the urges of his healer and his betrothed to be. Deirdre had been kind and patient, but he was a foul and wicked soul. There was nothing that her sweet nature could offer that would change the brutality of his being.
As the titan stepped through the wood, his dark eyes were trained on the movements that flickered across his vision. There was a scent on the wind, but he was not certain of the direction. The only direction that he knew was forward. The jagged fur along his neck and shoulders danced with the breeze that whispered through the wood. His salt-stained ribs seemed to reflect the skeleton underneath his flesh. The leviathan was truly a haunting shape.
Suddenly, he caught sight of a stirring figure at the forefront of his vision. The wraith's lip curled and a yellowed fang was revealed. As he closed some of the distance on the moving lumps, he noted what they were with a vile thought that flashed through his mind. Children...
A sickening expression creased his inky features and his mahogany eyes narrowed on the pups with a gluttonous desire. Lowering his skull toward the earth and lurching forward, the leviathan aimed to grip the boy in his rancid teeth. The young girl was fortunate that her coat was so dark – so concealed by the night background – or he would have perhaps killed her immediately. Instead, he focused on the boy and aimed to rip him away from his bunk mate.
The night was eerily quiet. Every sound that reached him spooked him instantly and caused him to jump in place. But, despite the dancing wind, sounds were somewhat rare in the glen. His turquoise gaze was unwavering as he kept his watch over Lucy and he laid still as the night continued on. Had he been a more experienced wolf he would have smelt the other coming, taken careful note of the hulking shadow that loomed ever-closer, and would have never left his beloved evergreens to begin with.
Despite all of these “could bes” and “maybes”, Rannoch Tiberous Frostfur was not a wolf with much experience under his belt.
It happened all too quickly for Rannoch to realize what was going on until he was being pulled away. He had been easily overcome with a snap of the other’s decaying jaws. The sting of the clamping came after the smell of the wolf’s toxic breath wafted by his nose. “L-Lucy!” he wailed as a wave of panic came with the realization that he was being pulled. “RUN.” His voice was strained under the pressure that Skellige provided and in an attempt to free himself, Rannoch trashed like a helpless fish that was locked into a great white’s jaws. But, despite the odds, he knew he had to get away from this dark creature and back to his home in the forest.
The titan's fangs clasped around the youth's body and he felt a surge of aggression flood through his system. There was a feral and savage wind to his movements. The boy shrieked with fear and a name tumbled from his lips, which caused the brute to narrow his brows and focus intently on the shadow of a child who was tenderly tucked into the lengthy grass. Her eyes had shot open and her face reflected the most raw sense of fear that he had ever witnessed. A gruesome growl rumbled from his throat and he flattened his ears to his crown.
The child rose from her position on the earth and she shuddered there. For a flash of a second, it appeared as though she wanted to move forward – to attempt a hold on Skellige's figure. The idea was laughable, but she appeared to cower away from it at the last moment. Her eyes were like a reflection of the brightest blue skies, pricking with fresh tears and the fear of looming death.
With a shake of his head, the leviathan rattled the young boy to keep him silent. His scarred limb could feel the weight of holding the pup in his slathering jowls. The strange child was certainly not as young as he would have preferred. His mind reflected on Sharkbait for a moment before he cast the thought aside. Skellige was determined that he would not fail in his goals. He was certain that he would turn this child into the prodigy that he so desired.
With a another shake of his skull, the wraith moved to fling the boy into a nearby boulder, hoping that it would cease the flailing.
It all happened so quickly and yet it felt as if the moments had dragged by. Not knowing what else to do but thrash, Rannoch continued to do just that as he watched Lucy retreat. A pang of sadness mixed into the storm of emotions that raged within as he saw as she vanished into the shadows. It was as she disappears did that the burly beast shook him. Yiping at this sudden, frightening, movement Rannoch felt his stomach flop and for his heart to freeze.
The subject of death was a lesson that his parents had barely touched upon and he did not consider this as he hung from the Leviathan’s mouth. But, he did consider that he might never see his family of Lucy again. His fear preoccupied him all too much to dwell upon this thought despite how scary the thought of never seeing his family again was.
A sudden jerk send Rannoch flying through the air and as quickly as it had begun it ended. Rannoch’s world went black in the blink of an eye. A sickening thud freed the panicked child from his fear and he quickly succumbed to a state of unconsciousness.